Canadian Wood remains a crown agency of the British Columbia government. It recently conducted a webinar on “Sustainable Forestry, Certifications, and Climate Change.” The Canadian webinar remains a testament to Canadian Wood’s ongoing efforts to disseminate information about sustainable forests, climate change, & their impacts on the wood industry. It also promotes the usage of softwood to all stakeholders.
Sustainable forestry is a tried-and-true method of preserving and improving forest ecosystems’ long-term health. Also, healthy ecosystems benefit all living things. British Columbia (B.C.) is a global pioneer in sustainable forest management. Also, it remains reputed for satisfying the present and future generations’ environmental, social, and economic needs.
Canadian Wood Webinar
The webinar also revealed that India remains a huge consumer of forestry products. But the majority of the country’s forests remain protected and no longer provide a stable source of high-quality wood. As a result, India will have to rely on certified wood imports to meet rising consumer demand. Environmentally conscious consumers require that businesses show a high level of concern for the environment when creating products. As a result, it remained critical to ensure that wood products remain sourced from a resource that remains both sustainably managed and lawfully exploited.
Forests help to lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which helps to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change. The webinar addressed the importance of maintaining healthy forests in order to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. The conversation went on to address how sustainable forest management is one of the most essential strategies for reducing climate change and global warming because it absorbs approximately a quarter of carbon emissions. Every year, BC forests receive plantation of over 200 million seedlings. Thus, these remain quickly reforested with a variety of native tree species.
The panel further talked about forest certification programs that are developed nationally and regionally in countries around the world include the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Savvy consumers in India and the world demand that companies demonstrate high levels of concern for the environment while producing products. Hence, while buying wood from sustainably managed sources, consumers look for the PEFC, FSC, and SFI certification labels to assure their compliance with environmental standards.
Click here to watch the webinar, now!
Speaking at the webinar, Mr. Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director, Canadian Wood-
“Forests are one of the key areas of focus when it comes to restoration of earth’s ecosystem. Needless to mention that forests impact climate change, and looking after them can help mitigate natural calamities. It is said that harvesting forest is essential to keep forests healthy, as old trees and aging forests are less efficient in sucking in carbon and releasing oxygen and decaying forests release their stored carbon slowly in the atmosphere and rapidly through a wildfire. Thus, reforestation and sustainable forestry ensure that the carbon cycle continues through healthy forests that store carbon.”
“India’s forests are protected which is helping the nation to grow its forest cover as part of its commitment towards mitigation of global warming. However, it is making India a fiber deficient nation and dependent on imported wood to meet its needs. Canada as a long-term sustainable source of certified wood to fiber deficient nations such as India can help advance the world’s collective fight against climate change.”.
Emphasizing on certification of forestry products, Mr. Chhibber-
“Forest management certification has been adopted quickly across Canada, and now more than 75% of the country’s managed forest land is certified. As of the end of 2020, Canada had 164 billion hectares of independently certified forest land. This represents 36% of all certified forests worldwide, the largest area of third-party certified forest in any country. This coupled with strong forest management and governance support showcases Canada’s reputation as a source of legally certified product produce.”
Canadian Wood associated with ICBC (Indo Canadian Business Chamber) to host this insightful webinar. The panel remained chaired by Mr. Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director, Canadian Wood, and Mr. Arun Kumar Bansal, Chairperson, PCA, NCCF, PEFC-NGB, India; keynote addressed by Ms. Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC (Indo Canadian Business Chamber) and Mr. Peter Bradfield, Technical Advisor, Canadian Wood moderated the session.
Canadian Wood conducts monthly webinars with the objective to educate the woodworking industry. It focuses on sustainable forestry, wood practices in modern architecture, etc. These webinar sessions by Canadian Wood along with the woodworking industry colleagues cover a wide range of topics. These topics remain significant for the wood industry, thus encouraging the use of certified wood from B.C. Canada.
